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Aired May 5, 2022

Supporting LGBTQ+ Dependents in Military Families

Many LGBTQ+ advocates know the history of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and understand the complexities of being an out, LGBTQ+ servicemember today. What they may not realize is that the realities of military life are also complicated for families with children who are LGBTQ+. This episode of Something To Talk About Live, we will be discussing PFLAG’s newest publication, At Ease: Support for Military Families With LGBTQ+ Children and Teens, written by Becca Stewart with Liz Castro, PFLAG Board Member, and her son Enrique Castro.

Something to Talk About Live is a series designed by PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality program to create conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. Each week we offer an article on LGBTQ+ topics and suggest a few questions you can use to lead a discussion with your ERG, community group, or PFLAG chapter.

We hosted a conversation about this article as a part of PFLAG Connects and Something to Talk About Live on Thursday, May 5. Did you miss it? You can still watch it here!   

Article: At Ease: Support for Military Families With LGBTQ+ Children and Teens

Source: PFLAG National

Author: Becca Stewart 
(Special Thanks to Jessica Girven, Jennifer Dane, Lt. Col. David Klein, and all of the military families who contributed to this publication.)

Questions for Discussion:

  1. Prior to seeing this publication, had you ever considered the experiences that military families with LGBTQ+ loved ones might have? If the answer is no, what was one thing from the new PFLAG publication that you hadn’t known about previously? If yes, what did you know and why?

  2. Coming out can be complicated for many reasons. For military families, coming out can become even more complicated because of a lack of access to resources and/or community. How do you think that this reality can impact the coming out experiences? What positive opportunities may arise as a result of families coming out about their LGBTQ+ loved ones?

  3. What are some of the ways that you can continue to learn more about the experiences of military families with LGBTQ+ loved ones? Are there any ways that you can show up as an ally for these families? What are some of the ways you might be able to dispel incorrect information (e.g., “There’s no support there!”) about this community?  

Bonus read: Check out “Air Force offers help to LGBTQ personnel, families hurt by state laws,” which appeared in the Washington Post by Soo Youn and “LGBTQ military leaders to salute on Veterans Day,” which appeared on NBC News by Dan Avery.

About Our Guests:

Liz Castro, PFLAG National Board Member

Enrique Castro

Ways to Watch:

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